Coins and paper currency of Tibet, 1800s-1959

Summary Information

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

Collection is arranged in 3 series

• Series 1: Silver Coins, late 19th - early 20th century
• Series 2: Copper coins, early 20th century
• Series 3: Bank notes, 1937-1959

Description

Scope and Contents

The Coins and Paper Currency of Tibet collection of the C.V. Starr East Asian Library at Columbia University comprises a small representative sample of historical coinage and paper currency circulating in Tibet and contiguous areas in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The core items in this collection originally belonged to the Kyaping family, who lived in the heart of Lhasa until the final occupation by China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 1959. It is noteworthy that the family's holdings included coins minted in Sichuan as well as Nepal, as well as paper currency printed in Tibet. The bulk of the collection was probably issued from approximately 1870 through 1940.

• Series 1: Silver Coins, late 19th - early 20th century

• Series 2: Copper coins, early 20th century

• Series 3: Bank notes, 1937-1959

Using the Collection

C. V. Starr East Asian Library

Accruals

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact starr@library.columbia.edu for more information.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, C. V. Starr East Asian Library

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

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Subject